


Third Time's The Charm

by xoimadivaox



Category: Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Angst, Birthday Fluff, Concerned besties are concerned, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sad Jon, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 11:53:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10334078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoimadivaox/pseuds/xoimadivaox
Summary: If the entirety of the internet hadn't forgotten about both times Lin-Manuel Miranda had kissed him, Jonathan Groff definitely hadn't either. But for the first time since 2015, he faces his upcoming birthday alone and in a city he hated when in reality, he'd much rather be backstage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre with the people he had came to consider his family.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So it hit me earlier this week that Jonathan's birthday was coming up soon and with that came the reminder of what exactly had happened in the past two years and I figured the chances of it happening again were extremely low so I decided to write it myself.
> 
> Obviously, I don't own anyone or anything and needless to say, we gotta keep this between us, peeps.
> 
> I'd like to thank Gotalong here on AO3 for beta'ing this for me, for convincing me to post it and for also listening to me freaking out over the formatting of this thing.
> 
> Also, I've made the cast and crew of Mindhunters to be complete assholes and i'd like to disclose that I've done so because it felt necessary to the plot, I'm sure they're all real sweethearts.
> 
> With that said, enjoy!

* * *

            Jonathan Groff was a man of many talents and with talent came a bunch of different type of projects. The latest on the list being Mindhunter, a Netflix show in which he got to play a FBI agent. But that meant a humongous amount of training hours on firearms, whether it was safety issues, shooting practice or just practicing holding the damn thing. On top of that, Jon was nothing if not a thorough actor. He didn't like sputtering words that meant nothing to him, he liked to know the lingo he was using. That way, if Jonathan Groff slipped through the mask of his character's face by accident, no one would be likely to see confusion into his eyes. Everyone always told him that his eyes were nothing if not an open book of his thoughts after all. But that investment only meant more time perusing the Internet and flipping through dictionaries and less time spent on relaxing and enjoying the scenery of Pittsburgh. 

            At the moment, Jon was hunched over his laptop at the kitchen table of his apartment, reading the latest script he had received earlier in the day for the very first time. His fingers were skimming over his touchpad as he wanted to google something when he happened to glance at his dock, more precisely at the iCalendar app. And it hit him like a ton of bricks.

_March 13th, 2017._

            He blinked slowly, his concentration shattering more and more with each passing blink. Today's date was March 13th. Which meant his birthday was thirteen days away. He swallowed hard, trying his best not to think of where he had been and what had happened on his past two birthdays, but the more he tried to push the memories away, the more they were forcing themselves upon him. 

            Two years ago, he had been at the Public where he had joined the cast of Hamilton a bit over three weeks prior. Which hadn't stopped Lin-Manuel from pulling him in the common room and kissing him square on the mouth, saying the Internet had told him to give him that while Diggs was filming, grinning like a loon. 

            A year ago, they had been in the dressing room they shared together at the Richard Rodgers Theatre filming another short video for Twitter and Lin had bashfully said there was no way they could top his gift from the previous year and Jon had simply surged, kissing him this time around. They might not be able to top the first one, but Jon would be damned if he didn't at least try to. (The second kiss topped the first one as far as Jon was concerned.)

            While Jon knew the kisses had been somewhat fake, something to make the fans talk and squeal, the crush he had on the writer was as real as it could get and had only been growing ever since Lin had said he was cute for the very first time.

            And so, instead of going on the Merriam-Webster website like he was supposed to, Jon found himself on YouTube, something he very rarely did, only so he could relive those kisses. And that damn rap in the middle of Central Park that started everything. By the end of the three short videos, tears were threatening to spill, Jon's script completely and utterly forgotten. He watched a few more of the shenanigans the whole cast had gotten themselves into over their time at the Rodgers and he reached for his phone, his hands shaking slightly.

 ** _Jon [03/13/17 07:49PM]:_** _I miss him._  
**_Jon [03/13/17 07:49PM]:_** _I miss them all. But him especially_

 **_Lea [03/13/17 07:53PM]:_ ** _Lin?_

 **_Jon [03/13/17 07:54PM]:_ ** _Mmhm_

 ** _Lea [03/13/17 07:56PM]:_** _What brought this on?_  
**_Lea [03/13/17 07:57PM]:_** _Aren't you shooting in Pittsburgh?_

 **_Jon [03/13/17 07:59PM]:_ ** _Look at the date._

            It took a while before she responded again, but Jon couldn't really blame her. March 13th didn't really mean anything to any of them. He sent her another message, feeling as though it was necessary for her comprehension.

 **_Jon [03/13/17 08:04PM]:_ ** _Add 13 days._

 ** _Lea [03/13/17 08:06PM]:_** _Oh honey._  
**_Lea [03/13/17 08:11PM]:_** _Text him at least._

            Jon sighed. He liked working on movies and TV shows, but doing Broadway shows was what he loved the most. The thrill of only ever having one take to hit your scene out of the park, the lights shining so bright that the stage felt more like a Caribbean resort than anything else even during the harshest of winter, the magic that seemed to come out straight from the costume designers and seamstresses' fingers, the glory of a standing ovation, the buzz of excitement coming from the audience... Jon lived for them. Movie sets were impersonal, just as hard working as any, but it lacked the direct contact with the public and had the safety net of as many takes as it took to get the perfect one. He missed it already. He wanted to go back to the way things were a year ago and never move on.

             He heaved another sigh and ran his hands over his face, trying to scrub his worries away. As he looked at his surroundings, another truth came to him: He hated Pittsburgh. It was at the opposite end of the Pennsylvania he knew and loved, it was too far from New York City and he couldn't recall ever being so unhappy in his life. Jon's lips stretched into a small smile when Renée's voice came clear to him in his head "You want a revolution, I want a revelation!" and what a revelation this has just been.

            Now feeling entirely nostalgic, Jon opened up his iTunes and started up The Schuyler Sisters, absentmindedly humming along as he scrolled through the contacts on his phone, in search of a very precise one.

 ** _Jon [03/13/17 08:33PM]:_** _Is it really March 13th already?_

 **_Lin [03/13/17 08:36PM]:_ ** _Well, March 14th for me, but for you on the East Coast? I guess you still are in the past. ;)_

            Jon stared at his phone for a moment before realization set in. Lin was shooting Mary Poppins... In London!

 **_Jon [03/13/17 08:38PM]:_ ** _OMG! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot! Did I wake you?_

**_Lin [03/13/17 08:40PM]:_ ** _Ahahah! No, I was working, you know me._

**_Jon [03/13/17 08:41PM]:_** _Oh? What is it? A new play, genius boy?_  
**_Jon [03/13/17 08:42PM]:_** _I hope there's a part for me in there somewhere ;)_

 ** _Lin [03/13/17 08:44PM]:_** _Sadly, no_  
**_Lin [03/13/17 08:45PM]:_** _But you know there's always going to be a part for you Groffsauce!_

            Jon chuckled at the nickname. Lin had been using it ever since... Well, ever since the In The Heights "promo" video, really. It hadn't even taken the man an hour before he was using it constantly. Jon could even recall a few times over the years where Lin had called him while being drunk only for the conversation to eventually turn to Lin saying "Groffsauce" to himself over and over all the while chuckling happily, although Jon would call it more giggling but they had agreed on using chuckling when retelling the stories to preserve Lin's pride.

            He was brought back to the present when his phone suddenly rang, Lin's face and name appearing on the caller ID. As he took the call, he paused his music, pouting as he had just enough time to hear the opening of Wait For It.

            "Hey there, Genius Boy," Jon said as a greeting. 

            "Groffsauce! My man! I'm not bothering you, am I?" Lin asked.

            Jon smiled and moved to go sit on the couch. He'd be more comfortable over there seeing as one never knew how long a phone call with Lin-Manuel Miranda could last. And at least, Jon could tell he was not drunk so there was a chance he would only use a minimal amount of his nickname. (Jon really didn't believe that.)

            "Of course not. I hit you up first didn't I? What's with the call?"

             "Sorry about that," he genuinely sounded sheepish, "as I said, I'm working on something and I kind of need my hands. There has to be a reason for headphones with a mic, so I'm putting that invention to good use!"

            "Well then," Jon said with a laugh, "am I the one bothering you?"

            "Why would you even say such awful things?! I'm a multitasker, I can do this."

            "Good to hear," Jon said.

            As he sat in his living room, he realized how much he had needed this, needed to hear Lin's voice. He already felt a million times more relaxed than he had ever since he had landed in Pittsburgh.

            "So. What's so special about March 13th?" Lin asked, going back to their very first subject, making Jon sigh heavily. "Hey... What's wrong?"

            Jon could just picture him. He knew him like the back of his hand after all. Whatever Lin had been doing was now abandoned and he was frowning, his voice thick with concern. The image didn't help Jon at all and the tears he had managed to swallow down came right back.

            "Talk to me Jonathan," Lin said softly, effectively breaking any resolve Jon might have had.

            "I hate it here," he whispered as the first tear rolled down his cheek.

            Lin racked his brain, pressing his fist against his forehead as he tried to remember Jon's newest project. "Where are you again? Philly?"

            "Close. Pittsburgh."

            "Ah..."

             Jon let out a small sound of disgust and Lin could swear he felt his heart constrict at the sound.

            "What does that have to do with the date Groffsauce?" Lin insisted as he fired up different applications on his own laptop.

             "Where were we a year ago Lin? Two years ago? What's in thirteen days for me, twelve for you?"

             Lin's fingers stilled on his keyboard as the answers to Jon's questions came easily to him, but their meaning, not so much.

             "Richard Rodgers Theatre, the Public, your birthday? Respectively," Lin answered quietly. "Jonathan... I don't... I don't understand. Please, talk to me. I want to help you, but right now, my list of questions just grows and they all remain unanswered." 

            Jon sighed again, suddenly thinking that a beer was much needed, idea to which he succumbed and told Lin about. At least it would give him something to cling to with his free hand. Lin patiently waited, his fingers finally moving again above his keyboard, as Jon moved around his apartment, twisted the cap off the bottle and took a long swing. He let himself fall down on his couch and heaved another sigh. The couple of scenes he had had to shoot that morning seemed a million years away rather than a mere ten hours with how emotionally drained he felt.

            "I just..." He sighed again. "I don't know Lin. I didn't even realize we were in March already. And I was reading a new script, what?" Jon glanced at the clock in the kitchen he could see from his spot, "less than two hours ago? And I was fine, nothing was on my mind other than that stupid script. And I was going to look something up on Merriam-Webster," Lin chuckled quietly at that. If Jon knew Lin like the back of his hand, the opposite was just as true. "And I saw the date and everything just hit me in the face. It hit me how my birthday was in less than two weeks. How for the first time in two years I wasn't going to celebrate it with our HamFam. And it hit me just how much I already miss Broadway and how much I fucking hate TV work."

            Lin was taken a back for a second. His sweet, innocent, little Groffsauce barely ever swore. This was even worse than he had anticipated then. Jon considered adding just how much it was going to suck that they couldn't kiss for his birthday, even if said kiss lasted less than six seconds, but he held his tongue. He wasn't nearly drunk enough for such an admission.

            "Jon..."

            "No, I'm serious," Jonathan cut him. "I hate it. Sure, it pays the bills and it's far more easier to become famous there than on Broadway. But I hate it. It feels so fucking empty compared to musicals. So please. Tell me you're working on something new. Please tell me you're writing this character and there's no one else but me that you can picture playing him. At this point, I don't even care if the only spot you have for me is in the company. I just... I don't know how long I'm going to be able to do this."

            "You know I can't tell you that. I'd be lying to you and you know that that's the one thing I refuse to do." Jon whimpered quietly at Lin's answer and took another swing of his beer.

            "I miss you. I miss our dressing room. I miss our routine. I miss our peeps. I miss Pippa and Renée and Jas. I miss ruining your song by pretending I'm the fourth sister," Lin let out a laugh at that one. The addition of Georgina had been so hilarious especially when Renée had pointed out that at some point the Destiny's Child _had been_ four. But before Lin could say there was no way Jon could ruin any song, he had already powered through his rant. "Daveed's stupid jokes and pranks with Anthony. I miss Leslie's mesmerising voice. I miss that fucking thirty pounds crown and my fur cape. I miss parading around with it in the theatre obnoxiously singing Cruella DeVil. "

            He was getting flustered and was rambling by this point, but Jon didn't care. He was lonely here in Pittsburgh and damn it all to hell if he didn't take advantage of finally having someone there to listen to how he felt.

            "It's not really that you hate TV, Jon. It's more that you miss the tight-knit community of Broadway," Lin pointed out wisely, making Jon huff.

            "I'm so lonely," he admitted quietly and, once again, Lin's heart ached for his friend. "I don't even have that great of a chemistry with Holt and Anna and at this point, I feel more like the kid whose only friend is the lunch lady than anything else."

            "Ok, Groffsauce, I need you to listen to me very carefully," Lin commanded with what Jon could only describe as his best Washington voice.

            "Is that an order from my commander?" Jon muttered quietly and if Lin heard it, he didn't mention it.

            "You are amazing. If they don't want to get to know you, it's their fucking problem because man, are they missing on the greatest person in this world! So tell you what, you keep pushing through. Be best friend with the lunch lady if you want to, which in my humble opinion is not a bad idea because I'm sure there are some advantages somewhere, and power through. In the meantime, I'll cook something up for us. We'll be in the play again, Groffsauce! Revenge of the theatre nerds!"

            Jon let out a small laugh. "Don't."

            "Why not?" Lin asked, sounding a little crestfallen. 

            "I know you. You're shooting Mary Poppins and you must have like... A million projects in the works as well. Don't waste your precious time on little old me just because I'm having the blues. It'll pass."

            "Oh my sweet Jonathan. I would never be wasting my time if I was working on something for you and it meant you being happy at the end of the day." He looked at the time and gave a small sigh. "I'm so sorry Groffsauce, but it's half past one in the morning here and I have an early start tomorrow..."

            "So you have to go? Is that what you're saying?" 

            "Unfortunately."

            "Ok. Well... Good night then. Thanks for listening to me." 

            "No problem. If you need me, I'm just a phone call away," assured Lin. He was reluctant to hang up. He'd much rather speak with Jonathan all night than have to catch a few hours of sleep ahead of a long day of filming. Especially when he knew Jon would not be enjoying having a similar day. Just before he could convince himself to say good night, Jon's voice came out again, barely above a whisper.

            "We'll be in the play? You promise?"

            "I promise you we will Jonathan Drew Groff," he replied solemnly.

            "Good." 

            "Good night Groffsauce." 

            "Good night Genius Boy." 

            The call ended with a click and Lin pulled his ear buds out, running a hand down his face before turning his attention back to his laptop. He printed off the last email he had received and quickly scanned the sheet before giving it a satisfied nod. He closed the lid of his laptop and put the freshly printed document on top of it.

            He was now officially a man on a mission.

 

* * *

 

            A week or so later found Lin-Manuel in his cast member chair on the set of Mary Poppins Returns, scrolling through his private messages on Facebook between scenes. Most of them were from fans congratulating him or telling him how he had inspired them, which was never ever a bad thing. A few were from previous cast members from different projects he had worked on. Auli'i had sent him one of the cutest video involving puppies he had ever seen and took a few seconds to reply with many heart eyes emojis. Dwayne was showing off with another clip of him working out. But then one particular name caught his attention more than any others. _Lea Michele._ He blinked and tapped the message.

 **_[Tue 3:56AM Lea Michele]_ ** _Hi Lin! I hope you're well and that you remember me. If not, well, I'm Jonathan's best friend, we've met a few times. I just... I wanted to see if maybe you had talked to him lately? I'm worried about him Lin. Please get back to me as soon as you can, we need to do something!_  

            Lin's heart clenched all over again. On one hand, it was reassuring to hear that Jon had opened up to Lea as well, but on the other, it was troublesome if the both of them were so worried about their favorite Groffsauce. 

 **_[Tue 11:06AM Lin-Manuel Miranda]_ ** _Hi Lea! Of course I remember you! Good luck with your upcoming album! As for Groffsauce... Yes I talked to him last week... He wasn't doing so great then. Told me in length how much he hated TV and how much he missed Hamilton. Glad to see I'm not the only one who's worried._

            The director called him back on set, saying they were ready for his scenes and Lin sighed, sending the unfinished message as it was. While it didn't answer her most important question, at least it would let her know that he had read her message and cared more than to simply leave a _Seen_ timestamp. He'd get back to her as soon as he could. 

 **_[Tue 11:24AM Lea Michele]_ ** _Thanks! I'm pretty sure we talked to him on the same night. I've talked to him again since... It's getting worse I think... I know he's gone back to watching his souvenir DVD of Spring Awakening and Hamilton.... Which is something I've never ever seen him do, to be honest. I've never seen him this depressed. Even after Zachary broke up with him. And he was a mess that time._  

            Lin groaned as he read her message once they had finally been let go to grab a bite.

             "What's going on? Trouble in paradise?" Emily asked him, teasing him lightly. He huffed out a small laugh and took a step forward in the catering line. 

            "Not really. Well... Actually, kind of maybe. But probably not in the way you think." 

            She raised an eyebrow and Lin sighed. 

            "One of my best friend. He's not doing so great right now," he ran a hand down his face and gave her smile. "I'm sorry Emily, I really have to sort this out." 

            "Of course. I was just being nosy anyway," she graciously said, waving at him as if to say 'go on, go back to your phone'. 

 **_[Tue 1:22PM Lin-Manuel Miranda]_ ** _Shit. Well, Miss Michele, I hope you're up for a secret mission. I was planning on doing this on my own, but it's becoming obvious that I'm in dire need of assistance._

 **_[Tue 1:31PM Lea Michele]_ ** _Anything for Jon. What did you have in mind?_

 **_[Tue 1:34PM Lin-Manuel Miranda]_ ** _I'm on set right now and don't have enough time to fill you in. I'll call you tonight if that's ok?_

            She responded with the thumbs up emoji and Lin nodded to himself, stuffing his face with his food as quickly as he could after he caught the eye of Martha, one of the girls from the makeup department, taping on her watch impatiently while looking at him intently. 

            It was late in the evening when Lin finally got to his flat and asked Lea if it was okay for him to call her. As soon as he had her approval, he hit the button and filled her in on his mission and, in return, she gave him both of the critical information he was missing and fine tune some of the details he hadn't even thought of.

 

* * *

 

 ** _Lea [03/22/17 04:30PM]:_** _Hi Love! I've got some time off before the big press tour,_  
**_Lea [03/22/17 04:32PM]:_** _And I've decided I was going to spend your bday weekend with you. Will be arriving on Sat and should leave on Tues!_

 **_Jon [03/22/17 05:17PM]:_ ** _What if I had something planned?_

 **_Lea [03/22/17 05:20PM]:_ ** _You would have already told me. It'll be fun, I promise! <3_

            Jon grumbled something to his phone before he threw it on the side and started cleaning up his apartment. Lea would have his head if he didn't at least even try to tidy up the place when he knew she was coming.

* * *

 

            Like any and every other day, Friday March 24th finally rolled around and with it came more hours spent on the lot of Mindhunter where Jon just felt his misery bubble up inside of him. Eventually, he was done with the day and he couldn't get out of there and back to his apartment fast enough when the director finally called it over. He didn't have any more scenes to film for that particular episode unless there was something seriously wrong with all of his takes and the next script wasn't scheduled to drop before the next Wednesday. Which meant five full days of vacation that he got to spend almost entirely with Lea, scheduled right around his birthday.

            Speaking of which, _nobody_ on set had even deigned to wish him a happy birthday even in advance. Nobody. Nothing. Nada. Not even a small nod of acknowledgment. As he finally got home, he leaned back on the closed door of his apartment, his head hitting it with a soft thud. He supposed there was still a possibility that the cast and crew would call him on Sunday to have him come in under the false pretence of an emergency only to surprise him with a surprise party, but he highly doubted it.

            Not for the first time since he realized his birthday was coming, Jon found himself thinking back of his Hamilton days and all of the birthdays they had celebrated together. Hell, a cast member's birthday at the Rodgers called for an extravagant event every time. He remembered running to the bakery Pippa loved so much to get cupcakes for everyone on her birthday or to the candy store to buy a huge container of Renée's favorite gummies. He could still picture Anthony trying to put on a birthday hat on Daveed's head only for the elastic to snap and hit the birthday boy in the face. The pure shock morphing into a grimace of pain had been hilarious, they had laughed so hard they had all ended up crying, doubled over. They barely could keep a straight face on that night's performance. So ignoring someone's birthday? Nuh-uh, that was not something that would have ever happened. 

            He pushed himself off the door, trying not to let his sadness swallow him whole. To the point where he kept repeating to himself that Lea was coming like a mantra. 

 ** _Jon [03/24/17 07:22PM]:_** Can't wait for you to be here. Karaoke? 

 ** _Lea [03/24/17 07:25PM]:_** 15 hours, give or take! And sure thing! :)

            She was right. Fifteen hours. That was it. He. Could. Do. This. 

            That night, he finished up cleaning his apartment. He washed the few dishes that had piled up in his sink, made sure the guest bedroom was turned up, even put some clean towels on a chair out for her. His fridge and pantry were rather empty, but he figured they could stop by the grocery store after they had gone to get some breakfast. Knowing Lea and the fact that she had a new album that needed to be promoted, he was pretty sure her insanely long and precise list of things she could and could not eat had gotten even longer since Louder. 

            When he finally went to bed, he was a little excited. Excited because his best friend was coming to visit him and would be bringing a light with her that he desperately needed. 

            The next morning, Jonathan woke up to the annoying sound of a persistent buzzing. Groggily, he opened his eyes and stared at his alarm clock through bleary eyes, desperately trying to make sense of the glaring red numbers. He sat up in horror when he finally pieced everything together: he had overslept and he couldn't figure out if it was because he had forgotten to set his alarm or if he had slept right through it. Another series of buzzes brought him back to the moment and he bolted out of his bed, running to his front door to finally let Lea in. 

            "I'm so sorry!" Jon said frantically through the intercom. "I'm buzzing you up right now, you can just come in, the door's unlocked," he added before doing so. 

            He looked down to himself and sighed. He was supposed to have had time to shower and get dressed... Apparently his ratty sweatpants were going to have to do for now. Then again, it wouldn't be the first she saw them. And she'd disapprove just as much as she always did, he was sure of it. 

            To make it easier for her to forgive him for making her wait however long it had been, Jon headed toward his bathroom, taking a couple of minutes to brush his teeth before turning up the heat. He had just made it back to the main area of his apartment and into the kitchen when he heard the door open. 

            "I'm so sorry," he apologized again, "I don't know what happened, I overslept," he finished as he put down two mugs on the counter. He frowned. By then, Lea should have been roasting him... Or at the very least have said a word or two. He turned around to look at her, grabbing the bag of grounded coffee beans as he did so. 

            "Surprise!" said a very distinctively male voice and Jon's eyes opened wide, the bag slipping out of his hands and falling to the floor with a soft thud. 

            "Lin?" Jon questioned in disbelief. 

            The man in front of him let out a small laugh and smiled brightly. "Surprise," he repeated himself. 

            Jon stood completely frozen in place, blinking stupidly at his friend as if he was still trying to decide whether this was a dream or not. 

            "C'mon Groffsauce, come back to me," Lin gently prompted and the nickname had the similar effect of a lightning bolt going through his body. 

            Jon walked the distance separating them in a few purposeful paces and he pulled the shorter man in a tight hug, hands desperately clutching to his shoulders. Lin smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Jon's middle without hesitating, one hand rubbing his back comfortingly. 

            It took a few minutes for Jon to fully grasp the fact that Lin was indeed in his apartment in Pittsburgh and that they were currently clinging to each other as if their lives depended on it. And in more ways than one, Jon's definitely did. 

            "How did you even find my place?" Jon asked after they pulled apart, his blue eyes scanning Lin's face.

            "Your dear friend Lea. She helped me with the whole thing. Made sure you'd be here expecting someone, gave me your address, you know, that sort of things," he explained and Jon shook his head, chuckling. "I don't even know how I thought I could do this on my own. Because honestly, I could never have done it alone without tipping you off." 

            Incredibly thankful for his friend, Jon showed Lin around his apartment, taking one of his bags to drop it in the guest room. He then graciously offered Lin to go shower while he got the coffee ready and he was more than happy to get to wash off the stench of the airports he had been in. Once he was set in the bathroom, Jon went back to the kitchen, grabbing his phone from his room as he did so. 

 ** _Jon [03/25/17 09:46AM]:_** You devil!! 

 ** _Lea [03/25/17 09:49AM]:_** I take it my surprise has arrived? :D 

 ** _Jon [03/25/17 09:50AM]:_** He has. 

 ** _Lea [03/25/17 09:54AM]:_** Happy birthday ;) 

            Jon shook his head once again, grinning. While he had looked forward to seeing his best friend and spending a few days with her before she was swept away in the press tour of her new album, he couldn't help but think that this was a tiny bit better, if only because Lin's contagious energy was exactly what he needed. He was just finishing fixing their coffees, Jon had known exactly how Lin took his within the first six months of their friendship, when Lin emerged from the bathroom, making Jon smile even wider. 

            They spent the day almost exactly like Jon had planned to do so with Lea. They went to get breakfast at a nice little restaurant nearby before they headed out to a grocery store to get food for the few days. Jon was truly glad he hadn't done so before Lin's arrival: he knew for a fact that his best friends' diets were complete opposite and he was sure Lea's vegan diet wouldn't have sit well with the avid meat eater that Lin was. When they got back home, Lin revealed the gaming console he had brought along with him, wriggling his eyebrows playfully before he took it to the living room to hook it up to the TV. 

            They ended up sprawled on Jon's couch, controllers in hand as they punched and fired their way through missions, both of them aware of how it felt like just any afternoon on a two shows day at the Rodgers with only the occasional commotion in the hallway missing. Then again, if you threw Anthony Ramos in any living space in the world, chaos would ensue just as certainly as the sun would rise in the morning.

            Jon and Lin cooked dinner together, moving around each other with an ease that only came from sharing a relatively small room almost everyday for over a year. If Jon knew anything in the world, it was how thrusting two individuals in a dressing room in any theatre down Broadway would make them connect and sync up to each other's movements better than any other way. He just had to compare the team he made with Holt and with Lin to prove his point.

            Once they were full and the kitchen was clean, they settled back on the couch but with a movie and some popcorn this time. By the twenty minutes mark, it was already nothing more than background noises as they went back to talking, occasionally throwing a kernel at the other when he had said something particularly stupid, or funny.

            On Sunday morning, Jon was awaken by Lin bringing him breakfast in bed, claiming it was the only acceptable way to start the day. He would have laughed at how extravagant Lin was being if it hadn't been for the fact that the musician came back into his room with his own plate a few minutes later. He sat across from Jon, happily munching on his food as they started talking and planning the day ahead of them. Although, if anyone had asked Jon, he would have honestly answered that this had been a hundred times better than the restaurant he had considered going. 

            It was much later when Lin's phone chirped with a reminder and he seemed taken aback for a moment before he laughed quietly to himself. 

            "Time really does go fast when you have fun!" Lin commented and, at Jon's confusion, he added: "C'mon, it's time to be in the play!" Which, really, only raised more questions than anything else.

            He pulled the birthday boy out of his bed and Jon followed him out of the room, grabbing whatever dishes Lin hadn't been able to carry. Without a word, Jon started rinsing and putting away the dirty dishes as Lin set up whatever his next surprise was. Jon heard the distinct ringing sound of a Skype call but he didn't pay it much attention, filling their mugs and fixing them more coffee instead. He heard Lin counting times very softly and then, a chorus of voices rose from behind Jon, all of them singing Happy Birthday to him. 

            He turned sharply and stared at the screen, recognizing more and more faces through the tears that had suddenly welled up in his eyes as he approached the laptop. He could see Lea in one corner, Jasmine and Anthony sitting shoulder to shoulder in another, Pippa and Renée smiling brightly, Leslie, Chris, Oak and Daveed spread out across the screen. Even Andrew Rannells was in one of the tiny squares and Jon just couldn't believe it. He dropped in the chair next to Lin, staring at all of his closest friends reunited for some precious minutes despite the distance between them.

            "Happy birthday Jon!" they all shouted excitedly at the end of the song, the distortion and high levels of crackling coming from their computers making them all cringe. 

            "I... I don't know what to say. Thanks guys," he said softly before turning to Lin. "Was that your idea?"

            "Hey! You said you missed everyone! I couldn't get everyone to Pittsburgh, but I could get everyone to sign on Skype for this!" Lin said in his defence, the brightest smile Jon had ever seen playing on his lips.

            Without thinking, Jon pulled Lin to him by his shirt, crashing their lips together. He was vaguely aware of the cheers coming from the laptop along with Daveed's distinctive hoot hoots. While the kiss was longer than any other they had previously shared, Jon wasn't sure it meant the same thing to Lin as it did to him. As they pulled apart, everyone on the other side of the screen seemed to be holding their breath, waiting to see what Lin's reaction was going to be. He blinked. Once. Twice. And then, his hands cupped Jon's face and he pulled him back to him, kissing him again. But this time... Oh this time it wasn't a two seconds long kiss. Oh no. It was a real, earth-shattering kiss. Jon felt Lin's tongue against his lips and he didn't even hesitate to part them to let him in, sighing happily through his nose because Lin tasted of coffee and raspberry jam. 

            The cheers that followed that second kiss were deafening. Lea let out a giddy laugh while Pippa and Jasmine squealed in delight and Jon was pretty sure it was Daveed who loudly said "About fucking damn time!" but then Lin moved his hand to the back of his head to lightly scratch at his scalp and Jon forgot everything about their friends watching. Forgot everything that had nothing to do with Lin-Manuel Miranda, really. 

            "Three years is a fucking long time to watch them dance around each other like fucking idiots. " 

            "Oh trust me Diggs. It's been going on for so much longer than that. Be lucky you got in towards the end," Chris said which seemed to get Lin's attention. He blindly groped for his laptop and shut the lid, cutting them all off. 

            They pulled apart shortly after, Lin pressing his forehead to Jon's. "Well... Happy birthday Groffsauce," he whispered and Jon chuckled.

            "I'm going to go ahead and say that this year tops the previous two. Without the shadow of a doubt." 

            Lin's smile would have been blinding if Jon hadn't been somewhere in the depth of his mind, remembering how his lips felt against his own. 

            "I'd say it does, yeah."

 

* * *

 

            After that year, Jon never had to wonder again if he was going to get a kiss from Lin on his birthday or not. For the very simple reason that the answer was always going to be yes, the golden ring on his ring finger of his left hand an undeniable proof of that. Jon could even wonder if he'd get a kiss from Lin on any day of the year if he wanted, the answer was still going to be positive. 

            Apparently, third time really truly was the charm.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think :)


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